Like Recognizes Like
by Ciestess
Summary: When Izaya dies, he's pleasantly surprised to find himself in the Soul Society. And he's even more excited by the secrets hiding beneath the surface of this place! But what price might he have to pay to uncover them?


Izaya, dressed in his usual shinigami uniform, approaches a tree. Underneath it sits Momo Hinamori, reading a book.  
"Excuse me, Lieutenant."  
Looking up from her book, she asks in a questioning tone, "Yes?"  
It's obvious she hadn't noticed him until he spoke, but, upon seeing him, her eyes light up with recognition.  
"Oh! You're that promising new Squad Thirteen recruit, aren't you?"

Izaya gives her a warm smile. Thankfully, the tenseness around his eyes goes unnoticed by the young woman.  
"I didn't realize I was famous."  
"Well, it's not every day we get a newbie who's already an expert at hohō. Not to mention your skill with hakuda!"  
Standing, Momo sets down her book and dusts herself off.

"Funny you should mention that. I was hoping to improve my Kidō skills as well. I heard you're an expert," smiling shyly, Izaya gives his proposal, "And I was hoping, maybe… we could train together?"  
Momo looks surprised - then smiles.  
"Well, I'm rather busy most of the time with my duties as Lieutenant. But… I don't see why not! In fact," Momo moves away from the tree, "today's my day off. Why not start now?"

Izaya grins.  
"That would be _perfect_."

As Izaya is sparring with Momo, Renji happens to see them - and _completely _misunderstands the situation…  
Thankfully, Izaya is an expert at dodging unexpected projectiles. However, despite Momo's attempts to calm him, Renji continues attacking Izaya _just _long enough for **someone **to spot them.

Although, Izaya suspects **that man** hadn't simply "wandered by."

…

It should go without saying that finding out about the Soul Society came as a pleasant surprise to Izaya Orihara. Granted, he would have preferred to live a bit longer, but he supposed dying at the early age of _twenty _was what he got for choosing the kind of life he did.  
He had been shot by some random person. Undoubtedly someone with a grudge against him. If only he could remember whatever it was he did, but he didn't doubt he deserved it.

Once he got to the Soul Society, he quickly realized he was one of the few who actually needed to eat. This didn't worry him much - food was easy enough to come by, with his skills.  
But when he heard about "shinigami" … The chance to become a "god of death" was too interesting to pass up.  
But even aside from that, while not exactly _peaceful_ \- life in the Rukon District was far too… _static _for him.

_He missed the excitement of the World of the Living._

It seems that when his dear humans lose their fear of death, they also lose much of their desire to progress.  
Which is fine! He embraces their changed nature after death as much as the many things that remain the same!  
But nevertheless, the dead humans just don't seem to be as entertaining as his living ones. And the only way to return to the World of the Living -_is as a Soul Reaper_.

Of course, Izaya still isn't completely comfortable with the shinigamis' mortality rates, but… Observing his humans had always been worth the risk of a dangerous life. Why should the same not be true of the afterlife?

And so, he'd applied to the Shinigami Academy.

He passed the entrance exam on his first try and graduated in four years (rather than the typical six) as a prodigy in Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat) and Hohō (speed and agility). No surprise, given his experience fighting that _**Beast **_while still alive.

Deciding which squad to apply to had been… _challenging_.  
In order to achieve his goal and get assigned to the World of the Living (even if it would only be temporary, as he found out at the academy), he would have to prove himself capable and trustworthy - while NOT drawing undo attention to himself.

But some of the squads were just **so **_**very tempting**_!  
The chaos he could cause in Squad 10! - What's Gin Ichimaru, the captain of Squad 3, hiding? - What's Captain Komamura, of Squad 7, hiding behind that mask? - What kinds of shady experiments are going on in Squad 12?!

Despite all of these temptations, he controlled himself - and picked the one that gave him both the most freedom and least attention. He applied, and was accepted into, Squad 13. Preferred by those kindhearted people who desire a quiet, peaceful life.  
And, more importantly, where there's no lieutenant and the captain is often too sick to get out of bed.

However, there was **one** mystery he still couldn't resist.  
And it was what got him into his current mess.

…

"Now, now, what's this all about?"  
Izaya and Renji blink a few times before realizing what stopped them.

As Renji had been about to send another kick toward the swiftly-moving Izaya, **Captain Sosuke Aizen** had gently grabbed both of their shoulders. And such was his strength that even such a light touch - had _stopped them both in place_.

Renji and Momo declare simultaneously, "Captain Aizen!" and Renji, freeing himself, bows.  
Izaya follows suit - after breaking tense eye-contact with the man.

It seems his… _interest _is mutual. Which is unfortunate.

But… _**Like recognizes like**_, after all.

* * *

This is part of my "One-Shot Wednesday" project - I'm trying to write a one-shot every week that other people have requested! Original Requests one week, and Fanfic Requests the next.  
(Only Fanfic OSWs are posted on this site, however.)

To **vote for the next OSW**, go to my Tumblr ("CiestessDE"), Twitter ("Ciestess"), or my website (crossroadofinfinity. com) to find the current poll!

While I will try to keep track of all the requests I receive _regardless_ of how they're sent, you should send Fanfic Requests through the pinned tweet on my Twitter ("Ciestess"), and Original Requests through either my email (CiestessDE *at* gmail . com) or my P atreon (if you're a patron) if you want to make sure I see them.

Just about everything goes - I'll tell you if there's a problem. But **if you want to know more about how they work**, you can read about Original OSWs on my website (crossroadofinfinity. "com/" 2019/07/07/how-it-works/), and Fanfic OSWs in my profile.

So please send me ALL the ideas! I will make sure to recognize whoever's idea/request it was in the work – just ask if you want to remain anonymous.

And if you liked this, please **SHARE** it!


End file.
